Table Of ContentPATRICK BET-DAVID
Copyright © 2011 by Patrick Bet-David.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-62467-278-1
Published by Financial Format Solutions Inc. DBA Tico Publishing
Copyright catalog registration numbers: TXu001780453 / 2011-11-22
___ Acknowledgements ___
Let me start off by acknowledging how fortunate I am to have met my wife Jennifer, who is the best
thing that ever happened to me. It takes a very special woman to marry a man like me, and God hand-
selected her to be right next to me as we go on this journey called Life. I thank God every day for
giving me a wife like her.
I want to thank my parents Diana and Gabreal, who had the courage to escape our war-stricken
environment in Iran and bring us to the land of all opportunities. It was an interesting journey getting
to the United States, and it was all worth it. It’s a responsibility of mine to represent my bloodline in
a way that makes both of them proud.
If there’s a man I can call my hero it would be Gabreal Bet-David. It’s a rare thing nowadays to have
a father who isn’t concerned about pleasing you all the time because he knows that he’s responsible
for raising a man who can stand on his own. My father has done exactly that. Anyone who has ever
met my dad will tell you that spending an hour with him isn’t enough. You want him around all the
time. His wisdom is priceless.
I have to thank two of the greatest listeners in the world who are willing to sit there and listen to me
as I bounce ideas off of them for hours. I rarely get any response from them, but just the fact that they
listen makes a world of difference. The names of those two individuals are Jimbo and Kucci, my two
little Shih Tzu dogs. I’m sure they will be thrilled as they read this acknowledgment of their efforts
over the years.
I would like to thank Jamie Rudolph for her tireless effort in helping to put this book together, from
the many discussions we shared to her research and invaluable time with the editing, all while being
patient with my desire for perfection. A special thanks to Annie Freshwater for employing her
strongly trained editor’s eye. I also want to thank Chris Perez for keeping things organized and
moving this project along. A special thanks to Tom Ellsworth, who gives me the peace of knowing
that if every single dictionary, encyclopedia, and the internet were to cease to exist, I would still have
a source to go to who has all the answers. Your mind is faster than a Mac computer, Tom.
To Raffi Petrosian, who has been an amazing student while I’ve taught him all the secrets of graphic
design. He will probably laugh while reading this because there isn’t anything I can teach him when it
comes to designing, and he has done amazing work. I look forward to working on many more projects
together.
I’d like to thank many of my friends all over the country who took the time to read the manuscript
while it was going through its different stages of development. Your honest feedback was invaluable.
Last but not least I’d like to thank all of those who have challenged and inspired me over the years in
all areas of my life: Kim Sinclair, my health and guidance teacher in high school, who inspired me to
join the Army. Drill Sergeant Green, who pushed me to a limit I had never been pushed to before in
boot camp. All of my Army buddies from the 326ENG Battalion in Fort Campbell; I would need a
whole book to share the stories we experienced together. Bradford, Guttierez, Aghakianest, and
McLroy, who were all crazy in their own way and helped make the experience extremely entertaining.
Francisco Davis, who was the best sales manager in the world and who believed in me when I didn’t
believe in myself. Dave Kirby, gave me the opportunity to start my career in the financial industry at
twenty-one years old at Morgan Stanley without having the required college degree. Here, I was
introduced to a division of Aegon where I had the opportunity to travel all over the world and work
along-side many gifted and talented individuals as well as meet my wonderful wife. Bill Vogel, who
invited me to a special event in March 2009 where George Will was the key note speaker and
inspired the Saving America Crusade. My sister Polet Bet-David, whom I love dearly; I learn every
day from the example she sets of what an incredible mother she is to my two little best friends, Grace
and Sean. My brother-in-law, Siamak Sabetimani, who I believe is a saint. To all the PHP leaders
who decided to embark on the great awakening of Saving America at a time when all the odds were
against us. I admire your excellence in building, your unity, your courage, and your touch of madness
with a spoonful of competition and a sprinkle of craziness. You inspire me more than words can
describe. Bob Hastings, Richard Kennedy, and Lance Wilson, who inspired me to start a radio show
on KKLA called “Saving America.” Pastor Dudley Rutherford, who constantly was in my ear while I
was making some of the most important decisions of my life.
I especially want to thank our competitors and critics who remind me on a daily basis that I’m still
alive; the day they stop, life stops. Thank you for your efforts.
Let’s go make history.
___ Contents ___
Acknowledgements
What does Doing the Impossible really mean?
Introduction
Dare to Do the Impossible
Recreate Yourself
Law 1 - Invest in Your Identity
Law 2 - Let the Right Ones In
Law 3 - Protect Your Credibility Score
Law 4 - Strengthen Your Greatest Weapon
Law 5 - Challenge Your Way of Thinking
Law 6 - Know Your “Why”
Law 7 - Work Like It’s 1880
Law 8 - Elevate Imagination to a Whole New Level
Law 9 - Be as Curious as Alice
Law 10 - Break Away from the Old You
Identify Your Cause
Law 11 - Decide to Be the Chosen One
Law 12 - Go “All In” with One Industry
Law 13 - Push the Envelope
Law 14 - Turn Your Cause into a Crusade
Law 15 - Channel Your Obsession
Law 16 - Evangelize Your Message
Law 17 - Aim for the Moon
Law 18 - Keep the Faith
Go Make History
Law 19 - Be Bold
Law 20 - Embrace Your Frustrations
Law 21 - Fight Adversity like Muhammad Ali
Law 22 - Let Controversy Be Your Status Quo
Law 23 - Silence Your Critics
Law 24 - Charge Your Batteries with Challenges
Law 25 - Have Heart
Final Challenge
About the Author
What does Doing the Impossible really mean?
This book is for those who have a desire to achieve greatness and are ready to take the steps to turn
that desire into a reality. At one point or another in this book, you will experience several different
reactions—excitement, curiosity, joy, laughter, or even tears—but the ultimate goal is to encourage
and challenge you to make a decision to do the impossible. That may have a totally different meaning
to you than it did to Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, or any of the other role models we will look at; but
whatever Doing the Impossible means to you, the goal of this book is to help you realize that you
have the capacity to do what the critics think is impossible.
Introduction
Growing up as a kid in Iran, I remember admiring different heroes like He-Man, Alexander the Great,
Muhammad Ali, and Rocky Balboa. I clearly remember watching Rocky IV over and over again with
tears in my eyes as “The Italian Stallion” did the impossible and beat the huge Russian boxer
“Drago.” As I watched the movie, I envisioned myself being the hero. Even as a seven-year-old kid I
wanted to feel what Rocky was feeling right in his moment of triumph.
Do you remember those days? Do you remember dreaming about being a champion, making a
difference, making history? Don’t we all dream about making our family proud? To some extent, we
all want to be heroes. We have a desire to deliver for our loved ones, the ones who count on us, to
earn their love and respect.
Hollywood makes money by creating movies to make us believe for a split second that we can be
Rocky, Rudy, Patton, or Alexander the Great. The downside is that we spend time and money to
watch that hero instead of being that hero ourselves.
In order to do the impossible, you have to tap into what motivates you. It all starts with the dream. If
you don’t have a vision that drives you to do the impossible, the mechanics of how to get there are
irrelevant. This book is meant for the person who envisions a life of greatness. That vision looks
different to each person. Greatness can be seen in the athlete who always gets the ball with three
seconds left to make the winning shot; his team knows that his focus, talent, and drive will put the ball
in the basket. Greatness is seen in the Navy Seal team that enters an enemy compound with years of
preparation and training, showing extraordinary courage in the face of extreme danger. But greatness
is also found in a single mother who works all day, takes care of her children, and still finds the
dedication and perseverance to start a business and change her family’s life. The principles that lead
us to achieve the impossible can be applied to any goal. No matter what your dream looks like, you
must first have the vision of where you want to go and what you want to achieve.
Do you remember as a child how we believed that anything was possible? When people asked us
what we wanted to be someday, we answered with things like an astronaut, the President of the
United States, a football star, or a famous singer. Do you ever ask yourself how we lost that
imagination that we used every day as children? The same gift of imagination that allows a child to
turn pillows and blankets into a fort is the power that we as adults need to tap into to imagine
ourselves as the people who we want to become. Children’s imagination and vision are limitless
because they have not yet repeatedly been told that their dreams are too difficult or unrealistic. A
child doesn’t worry about failure or disappointment. As adults, we too often let our doubts and fears
keep us from attempting to reach our dreams.
This book is for those who have a desire to achieve greatness and are ready to take the steps to turn
that desire into a reality. At one point or another in this book, you will experience several different
reactions—excitement, curiosity, joy, laughter, or even tears—but the ultimate goal is to encourage
and challenge you to make a decision to do the impossible. Whatever doing the impossible means to
you, the goal of this book is to help you realize that you have the capacity to become a hero in the
story of your life.
So don’t hold back your thoughts and ideas when you’re reading. Make notes in the book if you need
to. I have a tendency to write notes or ideas that come to my mind all over the books that I read. There
will be many opportunities for you to do so.
You’re not in a classroom with rules to break. Here’s your shot to do things your way. My main
challenge to you is to read this book in less than two weeks in order to get the most out of it.
Dare to Do the Impossible
Many things that we take for granted today were once considered impossible. Visionaries know that
what can be imagined can be achieved. Although people cross the world today in giant jetliners, one
hundred years ago the Wright brothers had to first believe that human flight was possible. On May 6,
1954, Roger Banister became the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. It had never been done
before and was therefore considered physically impossible. But since 1954, many runners have
accomplished the same feat. Roger Banister’s legacy is that he had faith that this act was possible
before anyone else dared to believe.
No one ever thought that Buster Douglas would beat Mike Tyson. The odds were 42:1.
Prior to the sixties, no one ever thought we would land on the moon.
Back when mail was delivered via the Pony Express, who could have imagined a machine that
sends mail electronically in seconds?
What would this world be without washing machines, cars, cameras, the internet, cell phones,
planes, televisions, or computers?
Ask yourself this: What if Armageddon happened tomorrow and everything was disintegrated except
for you and ten other people? There’s nothing left. How would you build a washing machine? A car?
A computer? How would you create the internet? Do you ever pause to think about that? We don’t
consider what that really means, to build the internet from scratch. It seemed impossible to most
people until it was invented.
“If they can make penicillin out of
moldy bread, they can sure make
something out of you.”
— Muhammad Ali
Now imagine that it is twenty years after Armageddon and you’re trying to explain to all the young
people what the world was like with cars and computers and all the things that they have never seen.
Would they think you’re crazy? What if they asked you to rebuild that lost technology? Rebuilding
might take a long time, but at least you would get to start out knowing for sure that such technology is
possible.
These are all things that we need to think about to understand that nothing in this world is impossible.
The only limits are the ones that we place on ourselves. Whether it was the first automobile, the idea
of electricity, or the moon landing, the believer who first imagined the impossible made it possible
for others to believe it and achieve it.
If the impossible throughout history has become the imaginable, and then the actual, why do we think
that our dreams are impossible for us to accomplish in our own lives? Are we afraid to try for fear of
failure? Isn’t refusing to try the only real guarantee of failure? Remember, you miss 100% of the shots
that you don’t take. The first step to achieving the impossible is having the courage to attempt it.
“It’s never too late to be what you
might have been.”
— George Elliot
To dare, according to the dictionary, is “to have the necessary courage or boldness for something; [to]
be bold enough.” Achieving the impossible is not for the timid, as it is not the safe and secure road. It
means taking a leap of faith, leaving your comfort zone, and risking failure for the chance of success.
There will be failures on the road to greatness. Thomas Edison had thousands of failed attempts at the
light bulb before inventing the one that worked. Roger Banister said his 4:03.6 mile in 1953 “made
[him] realize that the four-minute mile was not out of reach.” Part of daring to achieve the impossible
is letting failure motivate you rather than discourage you.
Think about some of the greatest stories of triumph and courage. Why do we love movies like
Braveheart, Rocky, Gladiator, and Miracle on Ice? Yes, they are all stories of achieving the
impossible. But more importantly, we admire the courage and perseverance of heroes who have
overcome tremendous challenges. We find inspiration in those who reach for the impossible, fight
against overwhelming odds, and turn past failures into stepping stones on the path to success.
So before you read the rest of this book, ask yourself: Do you dare to do the impossible? Most people
let the fear of failure or fear of the unknown keep them from making the decision to pursue their
dreams. Fear is the most destructive emotion for personal transformation. Fear thrives on the
unknown. Our imaginations run wild with possible negative scenarios. By choosing to put yourself in
situations where you have to face your fear, you learn that it is far easier to face reality than the
endless loop of possible challenges your mind creates. The feeling of overcoming fear in turn gives
you confidence to face the next challenge.
“Our lives improve only when we
take chances—and the first and
most difficult risk we can take is to
be honest with ourselves.”
— Walter Anderson
Making the decision to pursue the impossible is scary at first. You will have to face your fears and
throw away your excuses. Start out by believing two important things:
1. You are capable of greatness.
2. Facing your fears to realize your dreams will be the best decision you ever make.
Law 1
Invest in Your Identity
Have you ever thought about your identity? Not just your name and vital statistics, but what and who
you are? Where we are in life is based on our identity. Our beliefs are based on that identity. Our
future worth and opportunities will also be based on our identity. Many people think that if they
change their circumstances (e.g. get a new, higher paying job), their identity will follow suit. This
approach is actually backwards: In reality, we change our identity from the inside out and the change
in our circumstances follows.
Let me give you two scenarios to illustrate how your identity becomes your reality:
“Those who do not read are no
better off than those who cannot.”
— Chinese Proverb
First we have John, who is used to making about $30,000 per year. In 2006 during the housing boom,
John gets a job selling mortgages and does really well. John starts making $200,000 per year over
night. The problem is that John still has a $30,000 identity. That is the way that he sees himself. So in
order to make himself feel more like that $200,000 earner, John goes out and buys a new Porsche and
Armani suites and takes an expensive vacation to Europe.
Fast forward two years. The housing bubble has popped, and John is back to making $30,000 a year.
Worse yet, he spent rather than saved the extra money he was making during his boom time. In fact,
John spent more than he earned and is now in debt from his attempt to look the part of success on the
outside, rather than focusing on the inside.
Melissa, on the other hand, is a business owner who is used to making over $200,000 a year through
several successful business ventures. Melissa’s business gets hit hard by the recession, and in 2008
she only makes $30,000 in income.
If I were a betting man, I would bet money that within a short period of time Melissa will be back to
making a high six-figure income. The reason why is because that income is her identity. That is how
she sees herself; she believes she’s worth $200,000 per year and she understands the principles
needed to get there.
